


The Buddy System

by duskblue



Series: Irondad Bingo 2019 [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 21:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21435295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duskblue/pseuds/duskblue
Summary: It's Monday, and Peter is going back to school to face not only the entire student body after what happened at the compound, but MJ, who he is pretty sure knows he has a crush on her, thanks to Mr Stark. It also doesn't help that he put on the wrong hoodie this morning.Iron Dad Bingo Prompt: Peter wearing Tony's Sweatshirt
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Irondad Bingo 2019 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1326146
Comments: 30
Kudos: 735
Collections: Iron Dad Bingo





	The Buddy System

**Author's Note:**

> Yesss, this is the next installment. If you haven't read the others, check out the series and start with the story "Take it back" which is the first story in this set. It could also be read alone, I think!
> 
> Thank you everyone for kudos and comments! I have to run somewhere, but I'll reply to the comments you left on the last story when I get home tonight!! <3

Irondad Bingo - Peter wears Tony’s sweatshirt

“Bye, Happy!” Peter says, getting out of the car and closing the door behind him. It’s already been a long morning. He had to get up extra early for the drive in from Upstate, and it was a rush. One second Mr Stark was shaking him awake, and the next he was pulling on his clothes, grabbing his backpack, saying goodbye to his mentor, and running out the door towards Happy’s car. Except for a stop for a fast food drive thru breakfast, he slept the entire way there.

So he’s still a little out of it when Ned pokes him in the shoulder. “_Dude_!”

Peter yawns, reaching into his locker for his Spanish book. “What is it?”

Ned pokes him again. “Did you put that on on purpose, or does your subconscious really want that much attention? Everyone’s going to be talking about you anyway!”

Peter looks down at what he’s wearing, worn out Converses, an old pair of jeans, and a navy blue Stark Industries hoodie. The logo is so tiny on the left side of the shirt, he didn’t think it was even a big deal. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing? I’ve worn this hoodie like twice last week, and you didn’t say anything.”

“No you haven’t!” Ned says, grabbing his sleeve and pushing him so his back is against the locker. “Peter… that is not your hoodie. The one you were wearing last week did not say 'Iron Man' on the back!”

Peter’s eyes go wide in horror. How could he have done this? Somewhere between Friday and Monday morning, he had accidentally grabbed Mr Stark’s version of the same hoodie and hadn’t realized it. Why hadn’t Happy said anything? Then again, Peter had been passed out in the back seat for most of the ride, and when he wasn’t, the back of the hoodie wasn’t exactly visible. And then when he was walking to the front door of the school, he had his backpack on and no one would have seen it then, either.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!” he says under his breath. 

“Why not just take it off?” Ned suggests. “You are wearing a t-shirt underneath, aren’t you?”

“I can’t take it off,” Peter says, putting his hands to his soon to be aching head. “When I stayed at the compound on Friday, I didn’t have my overnight bag with me. I forgot it in the morning and Happy said we’d go grab it after school. Then I ended up staying at the Compound. So this morning, I put on the same t-shirt.”

Ned shakes his head at him. “You should really keep some clothes there. That would have solved this problem.”

The sad thing is that Mr Stark bought him some t-shirts with science puns on them, and they’re folded nicely in his drawers at the compound. But Peter didn’t want to take them because he feels like he should wear them when he’s there. He just doesn’t want to take the things out of his room at the compound and bring them back to Queens even if they’re nicer than the stuff he already has. It just doesn’t seem right. Now he wishes he had put one of those shirts on this morning.

Then an idea strikes him and he pulls out his phone from his back pocket. “I gotta get Happy to turn around and bring me something else to wear.” 

**Peter: HAPPY! I ACCIDENTALLY WORE MR STARK’S HOODIE TO SCHOOL. YOU KNOW THE ONE THAT SAYS IRON MAN ON IT. You HAVE to turn around and bring me something else to wear!**

**Happy: I’m stuck in the middle of traffic. If I turn around now, I’m going to get stuck on the bridge, and I have somewhere to be in thirty minutes. Sorry kid. By the way, Tony won’t mind if you wear his sweatshirt.**

Peter stares down at his phone. Happy is completely missing the point. “Okay, so that’s not going to pan out,” he says.

Ned blinks at him. “Just… wear your backpack all day.”

“Ned. People are already going to be looking at me because of what happened at the Compound on Friday. Now I’m walking around wearing a shirt that says 'Iron Man' on the back in giant letters--”

“They’re not that big,” Ned says.

“--and you really think people aren’t going to notice when I take my backpack on and off? I can’t sit at my desk with it on!”

Ned shrugs. “Why don’t you turn the hoodie inside out?”

It’s Peter’s turn to blink at him. He can’t believe he didn’t think of that himself. “That’s a great idea.” He puts his backpack on to hide the text on the back of the hoodie and then pulls on Ned’s shirt. “Come with me!”

He’s practically dragging Ned around the corner and towards the boys’ bathroom when they run smack into MJ. 

She looks up from her locker and calmly puts her books in her backpack while she gives them the once over. “In a hurry to get somewhere? The bell doesn’t ring for ten more minutes.”

“Peter’s gotta go to the bathroom,” Ned blurts out.

Peter has never wanted to kill Ned more than he does now. But he’s so tongue tied and so aware that MJ probably knows he has a crush on her from when Mr Stark called her out in front of the entire Academic Decathlon team, he can’t possibly think of anything good to say.

“Oh,” MJ says, looking between the two of them. “And looks like you’re using the buddy system. That’s probably smart.”

Peter is almost dead, but he manages to pull Ned around her. “Gotta go.”

“By the way,” she says before they’re out of earshot. “I don’t think that many people will notice the hoodie.”

Peter lets go of Ned and turns around to look at her. If he could choose his super powers right now, he’d want to be able to disappear into thin air. But no such dice. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” MJ says, shrugging. “You two are _really_ loud. I’m sure everyone in the hallway heard you.”

“No, they didn’t,” Ned says at his elbow. “She just has freakishly good hearing.”

MJ closes her locker and turns around. She doesn’t even bother to look back while she walks away, disappearing into the crowd of students getting ready for their first class.

“No, Ned,” Peter says, pulling him towards the bathroom again. “_I_ have freakishly good hearing. MJ’s just really observant. And it’s scaring the shit out of me.”

They finally get to the bathroom and Peter immediately shucks off the hoodie, turning it inside and putting it back on. When he looks in the mirror, his hair is all over the place, so he wets his hands and tries to style it again.

“Dude,” Ned says, watching him. “MJ probably knows.”

“I know she knows. She heard us talking about it. I just wish Happy would have come through. This day is going to suck already, and now I’m wearing an inside out hoodie. I hate my life.”

“I meant she knows about—”

A toilet flushes and the door to the bathroom stall at the end of the room flies open, hitting the wall with a crack. To Peter’s horror, Flash steps out. He stops to look at Peter, a tiny smirk on his face. 

“And why are you wearing an inside out hoodie, Parker? Did you spill your breakfast on it?”

Ned grabs a hold of Peter’s arm and pulls him towards the door. “You don’t have to answer him!” 

It’s not until they’re out of the bathroom that it hits Peter. “You didn’t mean that MJ knew about the hoodie, did you. You meant the—” He whispers the last word, “--crush.”

“No, I meant the—” Ned makes several hand gestures that vaguely look like he’s shooting webs. “She didn’t seem too surprised on the field trip when you disappeared and Spider-man showed up. I think she knows, man.”

“This is too much for one day,” Peter says, hiking his backpack up on his shoulders and leading the way down the hall. “Let’s get to class. The last thing I want is to be late and draw even more attention to myself.”

~*~

Peter almost makes it through the day. He dodges questions from kids he’s never even spoken to and somehow avoids Flash mostly because Flash avoids him. But then there’s gym class. At least he can take off Mr Stark’s hoodie and his dirty t-shirt to put on his gym clothes. It just doesn’t save him from interacting with MJ yet again.

“She’s everywhere I go,” Peter says when he and ned step out from the boys locker room to find MJ sitting by herself on the bleachers, reading a thick book. 

“I thought you wanted that?” Ned whispers back. 

“Not if she knows I like her and she doesn’t like me back. Then it’s just torture.” Peter hangs back a little. “We should have waited in the locker room longer.”

“Do you want to go back?” Ned turns and looks back at him. 

Peter can see MJ looking at him from over her book. Their eyes meet.

“No, she saw us,” he whispers, diverting his eyes and trying his best not to move his lips just in case she’s an expert lip reader, which is a definite possibility. “Now what should we do?”

“Let’s just go sit down.” Ned leads the way to the bleachers and they sit a few rows underneath where MJ is sitting, silently agreeing that it would be even more weird if they sat on the other end when it was obvious she was watching them.

“You could have just worn your gym shirt,” MJ says, her voice echoing throughout the whole gym. Or at least that’s how Peter hears it. 

“No, that would be gross,” Peter says without turning around. “It’s okay, the day’s almost over. I made it, and no one noticed.” He pauses. “Well, almost no one.’

It’s quiet for a minute or so until the sound of the locker room doors opening echo off the walls. Flash and a bunch of his buddies come pouring out, headed straight for where Peter and Ned are sitting on the bleachers. MJ lowers her book, and a few of the other students sitting around look up, wondering what is going on.

Flash is holding something behind his back, and Peter has an instant feeling of dread crawling up his spine. Something bad is most definitely going to happen. He grips the bleachers in anticipation.

“Hey!” Flash booms, his grin wide and menacing. “Just wanted to show everyone this.” He holds out Mr Stark’s hoodie, now right side out, and turns around so everyone can see it, proudly showing it off. “Our beloved Peter Parker, Stark Industries intern, loves to come to school with a shirt that says 'Iron Man' on the back. And he was trying to hide it by wearing it inside out. Any guesses why?”

The door slams again and everyone turns to look at Coach Wilson, who has just entered. Standing next to him, looking more pissed than Peter has ever seen him, is Mr Stark. 

Flash almost drops the hoodie, scrambling, trying to get it behind his back and out of Mr Stark’s view.

“I have a guess,” Mr Stark says, following Coach Wilson over to the group. He’s got the straps of a small SI duffle bag in his hand. “Could it be that he’s _not_ Iron Man?” He throws the duffle at Peter who catches it without hesitation. 

“Mr Stark—” Peter says between his teeth, looking around at everyone in the room.

“I know, I know,” Mr Stark says. “I’m probably like some embarrassing dad invading his kid’s space, but Happy called me this morning and said you grabbed the wrong sweatshirt and were a little upset about it. Though I’m not sure why you’d be embarrassed by a shirt that says ‘Iron Man’ on it, I brought you a different one. Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get out of a meeting.”

Peter’s not sure what kind of shirt Mr Stark packed away in the duffle, so he keeps it in his lap and doesn’t even think about opening it. He doesn’t have any desire to model his science pun t-shirts to the whole gym class no matter how much he likes them. 

“Then when I get here and talk your teacher into letting me in the gym, I see this little punk saying shit to you yet again?” Mr Stark goes on, jutting his thumb back in Flash’s direction. “Is there something wrong with him?”

Coach Wilson clears his throat. “I think you should go to the principal’s office, Mr Thompson. Not only were you bullying another student, but you stole his property.”

Mr Stark shoves his hands in his pockets. “My property,” he clarifies, but when Flash holds the hoodie out to him, he shakes his head and nods to Peter. “Give it to Pete.”

Flash looks like he wants to throw the hoodie in Peter’s face, but he just frowns and tosses it instead. He doesn’t say he’s sorry. In fact, he doesn’t say anything, he just turns on his heel and stalks out of the gym.

Once the door shuts, Mr Stark makes his way to Peter and holds his hand out for the hoodie. “It’s kind of chilly out today. Hey, I’m gonna grab a coffee, but I’ll meet you out back when your last class gets out, alright? You forgot some things at the compound, and I have them in my car.”

“Okay,” Peter agrees, though he’s not sure what he forgot besides his hoodie. He literally only came with his backpack and the clothes he was wearing. “See you then, Mr Stark. Thanks for, um, bringing me—” He squeezes the duffle. “--this.”

“No problem, kid. See you soon.” 

The entire class, including Coach Wilson, wait while Mr Stark’s not so gym floor approved shoes squeak all the way to the exit. When the door shuts, most everyone starts talking excitedly about having just been in the same room with Tony Stark. 

“Just when you think you’ve seen everything,” Coach Wilson mutters and then blows his whistle. “Two laps!”

~*~

Back in the locker room, Peter finally opens up the duffle bag that Mr Stark gave him to reveal one of the pun t-shirts from his room at the compound and his freshly laundered SI hoodie. He quickly puts them on.

“You should really tell Mr Stark he can come to our school whenever he wants,” Ned says, shouldering his backpack once they leave the locker room behind. “Everyone would be jealous of us.”

In the hallways of the school, every single eye in the crowd is on him. “I think they already are,” he mutters.

The bell rings, and Ned runs off to band practice while Peter heads towards the back exit to meet Mr Stark. He almost makes it to the door when MJ catches up to him.

“Hey,” she says, sounding slightly out of breath when she falls into step beside him. “I wanted to tell you something.”

He slows down so she can catch her breath. “Yeah?”

She shrugs. “Just that I used to think Tony Stark was an awful person. But now I don’t think he’s so bad.”

Peter isn’t sure where she’s going with this, but he’s kind of curious so he asks, “What made you change your mind?”

“I don’t know,” she says when they get to the door and step to the side so they’re not in the way of the crowd trying to push through to the outside. “I mean, he looks out for you. And I love how he puts Flash in his place. You gotta admit, that was really entertaining.”

He smiles. “Yeah, it was.”

“So, he’s really not that bad if he’s going to keep doing things like that.”

Peter isn’t really sure what to say after that. Obviously he thinks that Mr Stark is a little more than ‘not so bad,’ but he doesn’t need to sing his praises to MJ. He thinks it’s pretty obvious how much he looks up to the man. 

“Anyway…” she says, rocking back on her heels when the silence gets a bit awkward. “Don’t worry about anything Flash says. Most people can’t stand him.”

Peter is about to push the door open when she leans forward and plants a quick kiss on his cheek. All he can do is turn to look at her in complete shock. He hadn’t even been close to seeing that coming.

“Okay,” she says, backing away. “Your face just turned a really weird color of red. But it looks good on you. So, I’m just gonna…” She keeps walking back, trying her best to smile at him while she disappears into the crowd of students trying to make their way to the exit. 

Peter is so thrown for a loop, he can’t get his legs to move, and the next thing he knows, he’s being pushed along with the crowd out the back doors. He realizes after a good five seconds that Mr Stark wasn’t kidding when he said he was chilly, and he’s really glad he has his SI hoodie back. He walks to Mr Stark’s car in a numb haze.

“What is it?” Mr Stark says, looking him over once he sits down in the passenger seat and shuts the door. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

He turns in his seat, fully prepared to spill all because this is almost the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to him. “MJ just kissed me.”

Mr Stark grins. “No way, kid! Congrats!”

“On the cheek,” Peter amends. “It was on the cheek. But it still counts! It means she definitely likes me!”

“Yeah,” Mr Stark says, putting his coffee into the cup holder and reaching for something in the back seat. “You’re right, that’s exactly what it means. Oh hey, I got something for you.”

Peter is barely out of his star crossed stupor before he notices that Mr Stark is holding up yet another hoodie. 

“I got you your own hoodie,” he says, grinning from over the top of it. 

Peter gestures to the one he’s wearing. “Mr Stark, I’m literally wearing my hoodie. You just gave it to me, remember?”

“No, no. That is the same exact hoodie anyone can buy from the gift shop. I meant I got you _your own_ hoodie.” He turns the hoodie around to reveal text on the back much like his own that says ‘Iron Man.’ Only this hoodie does not say ‘Spider-man’ or ‘Spidey’ or anything like that. Instead, it says ‘Underoos’ in giant white letters that are crazy visible against the navy blue fabric.

Peter isn’t sure whether to be thankful for the gift, or tell his mentor that he can’t possibly wear that outside of the house.

But he’s saved because Mr Stark just bursts out laughing. “Your face is priceless!” he says, wiping at a tear in the corner of his eye. “Well, I couldn’t really have it say ‘Spider-man’ could I? That would put your secret identity at risk.”

“And this will put my social life at risk!” Peter says, not able to stop from smiling just a little.

“No, it won’t,” Mr Stark says, shoving the hoodie into Peter’s arms. “You already got the girl.”


End file.
